A Horse of Course

First course: salad. It is simple, but delicious. Second course: horse meat!

Thinly sliced meat is arranged on a platter ready to eat. The darker meat on the left is horse and the light red meat on the right is pork.
It’s on the left.

It turns out that horse is a common protein option in Bulgaria. So it is no surprise to see it on the table instead of on the freeway. However I still have a lot of trouble even thinking about eating it!

We are in the middle of beautiful Plovdiv having a wonderful lunch near some Roman ruins at a wonderful restaurant called Хемингуей (Hemingway). At less than $20 per person for multiple courses it is for a wonderful price too! So who am I to complain?

The first thing you notice about this particular dish is that it is much darker than the pork sitting next to it. Then you see it shines in the light. It has a sort of rubbery look. Finally, upon chewing, you notice it somehow has a darker taste too!

I say it is more like lamb in flavor, but somehow with a lot more guilt. The worst part of eating horse is the idea of it. I struggle to swallow only because I know it is horse. It is otherwise just like a gamy piece of prosciutto.

I am neutral about recommendation here. The horse has a good flavor and texture, but you can get virtually the same experience with any other meat. If you happen to be in Bulgaria, go ahead and try it. If you are not in Bulgaria, it is not worth the effort.

Have you tried horse meat? Tell us your story! Would you try horse meat? Why or why not?

2 Replies to “A Horse of Course”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *